Currently, protective coatings, such as insulation and jacketing, are being applied about wires and cables by extruding thereon compositions containing an organic peroxide and subjecting the resultant articles to elevated temperatures in order to cure the compositions to crosslinked products. The overall operation, commonly referred to as peroxide curing, requires careful control of the process parameters to avoid undue heat and pressure build-up in the extruder. Undue heat and pressure build-up results in premature decomposition of the peroxide which in turn results in crosslinking of the compositions in the extruder. Crosslinking of the compositions in the extruder, commonly referred to as "scorch" necessitates, in extreme cases, stopping the operation and cleaning the extruder. In situations wherein "scorch" occurs but is not as severe, it has been found that the work-life of the ultimate coatings is relatively short. In addition to the processing difficulties of peroxide curing, the peroxide containing compositions do not have that degree of resistivity to deformation, at normal peroxide loadings, demanded by many ultimate users of insulated and jacketed wire and cable articles.